John Ruddy explains Birmingham City’s contract position after talks with other clubs

John Ruddy is likely to hold more talks with Birmingham City over a new contract now that the managerial situation has been resolved.

Chris Davies was appointed Blues boss on Thursday after a search for Tony Mowbray’s successor that went on for more than two weeks. The 39-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur manager will now be given the keys to rebuild the team after relegation to League One.

Ruddy is one of two experienced players the Blues were hoping to keep, the other being 35-year-old club captain Lukas Jutkiewicz. Ruddy was awaiting clarity on the manager before making any decisions and admits he has spoken to other clubs in the meantime.

Speaking about his contract situation on The Fozcast – former Blues goalkeeper Ben Foster’s podcast – Ruddy said: “When they sort out the manager, we’ll see what happens. I hope there will be a few more conversations, but I have also had conversations with other clubs. It’s just a matter of keeping your options open and seeing what happens.

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“I still want to play and that would be my first preference because I have really enjoyed playing for the last two years. After four years at Wolves where I wasn’t playing, I played 89 games in two seasons. I feel good physically and I feel like my performance level was pretty decent. Obviously there are peaks and troughs, but I think I’ve been consistent overall.”

Ruddy has lived away from home since leaving Norwich City to join Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2017. The 37-year-old’s wife and two children still live at their home in Norwich and he is willing to make the sacrifice to extend his playing career. .

“My situation is that my wife and children stayed in Norwich when I left,” he explained. “This is simply a decision that my wife and I made because the children were happy, in school and settled. My son starts the summer full time with Norwich and has a scholarship. My daughter is happy and my wife is incredibly supportive.

“I might have a few years left in the game, so if something weird and wonderful comes up on the other side of the country, we should think about it. I actually lived away from home for eight years, so it’s difficult because you lose so much, but you’re doing it for good. Their life in Norwich is where we wanted it to be when we first had children.

“If I have to travel, I will travel. The problem is there aren’t that many clubs near Norwich either!”

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